How we work
Clear advice, from the first hello onwards
Thinking about getting financial advice, but not sure what happens next? Here’s the whole journey – step by step, in plain English.
What happens first?
When you contact Ginkgo Financial, the first step is a quick, friendly chat. We’ll ask what’s prompted you to get in touch and what you’d like help with. That’s it – no forms, no jargon, no hard sell.
This chat helps us match you with the right adviser. Each of our advisers has different areas of expertise and interest. We’ll pair you with the one best placed to help.
What happens at the free initial meeting?
Next, you’ll have a free 30-minute initial conversation with your adviser. You can come to our welcoming, accessible office in Blackheath – or meet online via Teams, if that’s easier.
Your adviser will listen first. Where are you now? What do you want your money to do for you? What’s worrying you? Then they’ll explain honestly whether and how we can help.
This isn’t financial advice yet – it’s a conversation to see if we’re a good fit. There’s no fee and no obligation. And if we’re not right for you, we’ll say so.
What will it cost?
You’ll never be surprised by a bill.
Before any work starts, we’ll tell you exactly what you’ll pay and exactly what you’ll get for it – in writing. If anything changes along the way, you’ll know before it does.
You can read more about our charges on our Value & Fees page.
Where do we start?
Wherever you begin, we take time to understand your whole financial picture. Good advice can’t be given in isolation, so a full review is part of how we work – whichever route you take.
What differs is your starting point.
If you’re not sure what you need, we’ll start with a Groundwork report. It’s the beginning of your planning journey with us: a clear look at where you stand today and where you want to get to, and the foundation for the advice and decisions that follow.
If you come with a specific goal – say, an inheritance you’d like to invest – we’ll advise on that. We still review your wider circumstances as part of that advice, so we can be confident it’s right for you.
A whole team behind your adviser
Once you decide to go ahead, our support team takes care of the detail. We’ll gather everything we need to know about your finances, carefully and securely. Our in-house paraplanners then work alongside your adviser to research and prepare your recommendations. Your case is handled by people who know you – nothing is outsourced.
Our Client Servicing team keeps everything moving, so you always know where things stand.
Once your adviser’s recommendations are in place, you choose how you’d like to keep working with us.
If you choose our ongoing service, you have a continuing relationship with Ginkgo: you can contact your adviser whenever you need help or have a question, Client Care checks in with you periodically in case your circumstances have changed, and each year you’ll have an Annual Advice Meeting – a review of whether you’re still on track and what, if anything, needs adjusting.
If ongoing service isn’t right for you, that’s fine too. We’re here whenever you’d like to pick things back up – just get in touch.
An established firm, not a one-person practice
Plenty of good advisers work alone. But an established team brings you things a single adviser can’t.
Our advisers have different specialisms and interests, and they support each other. If your case would benefit from a colleague’s expertise, you get it – automatically. Daren, our co-founder, is a Chartered Financial Planner.
It also means a whole family can work with Ginkgo, with each person having their own adviser. Parents, children and grandparents often need different things – and sometimes a little privacy from each other.
And it means continuity. If your usual adviser is away or unwell, a colleague who can help is always close by – you’re never left waiting. Over the longer term it matters even more: we’ve been in Blackheath since 2012, we’re family-run, and we don’t plan to sell up to a consolidator. If your adviser ever retires or moves on, you won’t be left stranded – a colleague who already knows the firm will be ready to step in.
A local firm, backed by the Quilter network
We’re registered with the Financial Conduct Authority and are an appointed representative of Quilter Financial Services Ltd which is part of the Quilter Financial Planning network. This means Quilter Financial Planning sets the standards we work to, monitors our advice, and takes responsibility for our regulatory compliance – while Ginkgo remains a local, family-run firm. Quilter Financial Planning Network is part of Quilter PLC (a FTSE 250 company) and one of the UK’s largest financial planning networks (FCA reference: 912144).
What that means for you: personal, local service with the oversight of one of the UK’s largest financial planning networks.
Curious why we chose this model? Read Independent vs restricted.